What Is Retrosizer and What Can You Do With It?

Updated

Retrosizer is a browser-based visual comparison tool for handheld gaming devices. It lets you place devices side by side at true relative scale, rotate and rearrange them, and preview how retro game systems—Game Boy, GBA, NES, SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, PlayStation, and others—will appear on each screen. It's useful if you're choosing between retro handhelds, checking whether a device is too big for your hands or pocket, or wondering how a classic game will look on a modern display.

What you can actually do

  • Compare physical size at true relative scale. Devices are shown at accurate relative dimensions, so a Miyoo Mini next to a Steam Deck reflects the real size difference rather than two unrelated product photos.
  • Preview retro game screens. Screen simulations show pixel scaling for supported systems, so you can judge how a Game Boy or SNES title fills (or doesn't fill) a given display.
  • Drag, rotate, and arrange freely. You control the layout instead of being locked to a fixed grid.
  • Share a comparison by URL. Once you've built a layout, the link reproduces it for someone else.

How to use it

  1. Open retrosizer.com in a browser.
  2. Add the devices you want to compare—either by picking from the supported list or by starting from one of the popular comparisons.
  3. Drag and rotate them into the arrangement you want.
  4. Use the filters (screen size, manufacturer, performance) to narrow down candidates if you're browsing rather than comparing specific models.
  5. Select a retro system to see its simulated output on the selected screens.
  6. Copy the URL to save or share the comparison.

The expected result is a scaled, side-by-side view plus screen previews—enough to make a size and display judgment before buying.

Devices and manufacturers covered

The supported list is broad and spans retro-focused and modern handhelds:

Category Examples
Retro handhelds Anbernic (RG-35XX series, RG-405M, RG-556, and many more), Miyoo (Mini, Mini Plus, A30, P60), PowKiddy (RGB30, RGB20S, X55), Retroid Pocket 2–5, TRIMUI, GKD, FunKey S, PocketGo
Original hardware Nintendo Game Boy line, GBA/SP/Micro, DS/3DS family, Switch models, Sony PSP and PS Vita, SEGA Game Gear, Atari Lynx, SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color, NEC TurboExpress
Modern PC handhelds Valve Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, GPD WIN 4, AYANEO models, Logitech G CLOUD
Other Analogue Pocket, Panic Playdate, Evercade EXP, Retroflag GPi cases

That range matters: it means you can compare a $60-class retro device against a full PC handheld in the same view, which is hard to do from spec sheets alone.

When it's the right tool—and when it isn't

Retrosizer is a good fit when your question is about size, screen fit, or visual experience: "Is the RG-35XX SP too small for my hands?", "How much of a Game Boy screen will the RGB30 actually use?", "How does the Miyoo Mini Plus compare to a Game Boy Pocket?"

It is not a performance database or a buying guide. The site describes filtering by performance, but the core value is visual and spatial comparison. For frame rates, emulation compatibility, or battery life, you'll need other sources. Treat Retrosizer as the step where you rule devices in or out on physical and display grounds, then check specs elsewhere.

Practical notes

  • The tool runs in the browser; no account or install is mentioned in the site's own description.
  • Comparisons are shareable via URL, which makes it handy for asking for a second opinion in a forum or chat.
  • Because screen simulations use accurate pixel scaling, they're most informative for integer-scaling questions—whether a system maps cleanly onto a given resolution.

If you're deciding between two retro handhelds and the spec sheets look similar, putting them side by side at real scale is often the fastest way to settle it.